Steinbrenner flag football, boys track also impress
By Kyle LoJacono
The Steinbrenner High athletic department is fast becoming a powerhouse both on the field and in the classroom.
That is illustrated by the Warriors capturing the 2011 Vernon Korhn Award, given annually by the Hillsborough Athletic Department to the top school. County athletic director Lanness Robinson said the judges factor in academic achievement, athletic success and sportsmanship.

“We had the third highest overall GPA for our athletes the whole year,” said Steinbrenner athletic director Eddie Henderson. “We also had our girls soccer team win a state championship, a girls track athlete (Alexis Wright) win an individual state title and our boys cross country team was state runner-up, but what pushed us over the edge was we had no coach or student ejected from a competition this year.”
Henderson said there was one ejection to a player in 2009-10; one too many for his tastes.
“The school district had a positive coach’s alliance training before the school year,” Henderson said. “Myself and Principal (Brenda) Grasso attended that and we put the word out to the coaches. We stressed class on the field.”
In addition to the sportsmanship and state championships, the Warriors also scored big by winning seven team district championships and finishing as district runner-up in five sports this school year.
Two of the Warriors spring sports teams also received top academics honors.
Steinbrenner’s flag football team’s 3.460 and boys track and field’s 3.385 were the highest combined GPA of any other county program. It is the first time any Warriors team has received the award in the school’s two-year history.
“It’s a great honor and I’m very pleased that two of our teams placed so high academically,” Henderson said. “Our football team finished second in the fall to Plant, but this is the first time we’ve been first.”
Warriors flag football coach Jennifer Graham said her team had study hall every game day, twice a week during the season.
“We’d have our pregame meal and then quiet study hall,” Graham said. “That means no cellphones or iPods with books out. My thought was even if you don’t have any assignments due, you can study.”
She gave credit to math teacher Marie Puskas and science teachers Gregory Puskas and Cathy Tintera for helping students during study hall.
“They were a big help and so were the older girls on the team,” Graham said. “They would take the younger girls under their wing and help them with anything they needed for school. They have been very self motivated, but the great thing is we have very strong athletic programs at Steinbrenner. That’s a carrot for the players because they know if they struggle in the classroom, there is someone just as good who could replace them. It keeps them focused.”
Graham was a volleyball assistant for the 2009 and 2010 seasons and was recently named the program’s head coach. She said the study hall policy is the same for the fall sport.
“A lot of the kids talk about playing in college, but 99 percent of them won’t get that chance, so we make sure they know how important grades are,” Graham said. “That’s something that our administration has stressed since the school opened.”
One of the leaders on Graham’s squad this year was junior defensive back Cary Anne Bame, who was also the volleyball team’s libero. She had never played flag football before this season, but recorded 27 flag pulls, 13 interceptions and six passes defensed. She was named to the All-Laker/All-Lutz News flag football and All-Western Conference first team for her efforts.
Bame was also a standout in the classroom, posting a 5.48 weighted grade point average, the fourth highest at Steinbrenner through her first five semesters. Graham said she remembers seeing Bame pulling out flash cards during water breaks in the volleyball season to grab a little more study time.
“We weren’t shocked we won because of the work we put in, but we were all excited too,” Bame said. She then added. “It was more about setting a good example for the younger girls. The other thing is there is a lot of competition to be a good student at Steinbrenner. The top five kids in the class all know it and want to stay there.”
Newsome also took home two team academic awards, in baseball and girls track and field, while Plant has the top overall GPA for the entire year.
“We had some friendly competition going with Newsome and Plant,” Henderson said.
Hillsborough School Board members and Superintendent MaryEllen Elia attended the award ceremony and Henderson said that made the event even more special for Steinbrenner’s student-athletes.
“It showed them they care about athletics,” Henderson said. “They have a lot to take care of at the end of the school year, and for them to take time out of their day to support the student-athletes was a treat.”
For more information on the Hillsborough awards or the county’s athletic department, visit athletics.mysdhc.org.
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